Celebrate Earth Day for FREE in Charlotte

Earth Day Celebration
Anne Springs Close Greenway
288 Dairy Barn Lane

Saturday, April 16
10am

Events are located at the Greenway’s Dairy Barn entrance. Events and activities will include border collie demonstrations, cane pole fishing, canoeing & kayaking, face painting, geocaching, lead-line horse rides and farm animals.

Matthews Earth Day

Stumptown Park

120 South Trade St 

Saturday April 23

10am-2pm

Celebrate Earth and the Environment with HAWK (Habitat and Wildlife Keepers) of Matthews! Join us for wildlife & animal exhibits, kids' crafts, vendors, music, food and more. Exhibits on composting, recycling, green businesses and services.

Celebrate Earth Day

McDowell Nature Preserve

15222 South York Road

Saturday April 23

9:30am-4:30pm

Drop by anytime to celebrate Earth Day by going on a scavenger hunt, making a recycled craft, and taking the recycling relay challenge. Also, meet some of our resident wildlife ambassadors during scheduled presentations at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm.

Earth and Arbor Day

Stallings Municipal Park

340 Stallings Road

Saturday April 23

10am-1pm

Celebrate with vendors, arts and crafts, and plenty of interactive activities that will bring everyone together in the appreciation of our Earth.

Earth Day Celebration
Robbins Park
17738 West Catawba Avenue

Saturday April 23
10am-12pm

Bring your family to Robbins Park for their annual Earth Day Celebration. They'll have fun activities, nature walks, giveaways and more.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful time honoring this beautiful planet we share!

 

Coachella 2016

Coachella queens! The lineups are set and weekend one starts tomorrow so, I put together a few festival fashion finds on Polyvore.

Second Anniversary Cotton Gift Ideas

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,
always with the same person" - Mignon Mclaughlin

December is a special month to us because we met on the 2nd and share that day with two birthdays we hold dear. And the special birthdays continue throughout the month, including the arrival of our first born. Our actual marriage was an intimate ceremony in April.

In 1922 Emily Post published Etiquette in which she identified symbolic gifts associated with 8 milestone anniversaries: paper, wood, tin, crystal, china, silver, gold, and diamond.

Fifteen years later, the Jewelers of America expanded her list to include materials for every one of the first 20 years of marriage and every 5 years thereafter.  Thus was born the traditional list of gifts and wedding anniversary meanings we have today.

The modern 2nd anniversary gift is China, but I've always been more of a traditionalist. I also like what it symbolizes; strong and soft. They way a marriage is intertwined and strong, but has the ability to adapt to changes.

In honor of our 2nd wedding anniversary coming up, here are some cotton gift ideas for those wonderful husbands and wives.

His:

1. Any cotton shirt could do, but why not show him he's your hero with this Superman shirt found on Amazon

2. I hope you two can enjoy a good joke like Cottonelle found at Target

3. Have him looking dapper with a new bow tie found on Amazon

4. Get a hat with his favorite team. At our house, we love football so I found this NFL Hat (Buffalo Bills specifically found here)

5. There are a lot of adorable pillow case ideas out there. Give him this Star Wars Classic pillow case found at Target

6. Boxers! Practical or Powered By Bacon Boxers on Amazon

7. History lovers rejoice over this vintage inspired cotton flag made in the USA. Flag Heritage Series found here

8. Relax with a hammock from Amazon

9. Whimsical and delicious, you can find this BELLA cotton candy maker at Walmart

Hers:

1. Enjoy the lovely scent of Clean Cotton from Yankee Candle Make it personal with a lovely photo here

2. A light airy scarf from L.L. Bean

3. Adorable Apron such as this one from Amazon
4. Our family's favorite cotton sneaker company Converse
5. Cotton rope necklace with a little bling found here
6. Custom cross stitch of your happy family from Etsy. Easily customized with your hobbies or pets.
7. Search for Natural Cotton Essie nail color at Target
8. Wine and dine her with some cotton candy liqueur.

I hope you enjoy these gift ideas, but most of all take time to enjoy each other!

DIY Coffee Scrub

Just another manic Monday at the Aviles house. Maybe it was the busy weekend or my growing toddler. Short naps and constant eating anyone??? Here's a little dose of energy for the rest of the week.

My love of coffee is SERIOUS. The coffee cups we own are basically the size of a bowl. I refuse to buy anything that brew less than 12 cups at a time. I like to keep coffee extras stocked for company the way most people would stock a bar. I painted our old cabinet with this adorable phrase that said "All I need is coffee and Jesus" okay...the more I am typing the more I see how serious this love is.

Last year we started a compost bin, but this is, by far, my favorite way to reuse my grinds. The recipe is simple and can be easily doubled.



Ingredients:
1/2 cup of ground coffee
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
Splash of vanilla extract *optional*

Step One:
Mix coffee and sugar in a bowl.

Step Two:
Add coconut oil to the bowl and stir. This will moisturize
and adds a subtle delicious smell.

Step Three:
If you want, mix in the vanilla extract. This will have it smelling like a delicious French Vanilla iced coffee.

Step Four:
Store in an airtight container, such as a jar. I recommend using it within a month, but it will last up to six months.

Nap Time Cleaning - Entire House in One Hour

Ahhh nap time. Breathe that sigh of peace and quiet. Now, let's get to business.
I am the type of person to get ultra focused on a single task. So focused that it will consume hours of time. Here I go to put away the towels and oh look, I'm reorganizing the entire linen closet...after I repainted it. Haha. Moms don't have time for that! 

During my brief time cleaning houses, I learned a few tips and tricks that help me clean with much more efficiency. Start the washer first so, a load will be done when you are. Sweep hard floors onto carpet and suck up with the vacuum. Cut up old tee shirts for the best dust rags. Find what really works for you, your family and your schedule. I like to Swiffer the bathroom floors as soon as possible so they're dry when the girls wake up. There are a few simple things I try to accomplish everyday during nap time to keep our house feeling clean.

On a good day, nap time will be three hours and have me feeling super productive...or binge watching Psych on Netflix. Hey, you can't win 'em all. On an average day, an hour or two. I put the girls down to sleep, sip my coffee and begin my run through. I'm so blessed to have both girls sleep through the vacuum, the dog barking, a possible T-Rex in my living room, you get the idea. They love sleep as much as mommy and daddy. If you think the vacuum will interrupt their peaceful slumber, save it for later. Here is a basic breakdown of what I get done in an hour. You can too!

Washer(3 mins)- Grab a load and get it started.

Make Bed(5 mins)- A simple task you can easily take care of when you wake up. It just doesn't work out for me. My husband is usually still sleeping when I begin my day with the girls.

Tidy Bedroom(2 mins)- Just a quick pickup of nightstand water bottles, last nights clothes or any other random things.

Bathroom(5 mins)- Wipe down counter tops and toilet. Pour some toilet cleaner around the bowl. I skip the shower/tub for when I have time for a more deep clean.

Windex(10 mins)- I start in the bedroom and do my patio doors and mirrors. Move onto bathroom mirrors. Next our front windows and finish with the living room sliding doors.

Tidy Toys(5 mins)- First I sort (dinosaurs, play food, books, etc) then I put everything away. So much easier now that we have worked out a system at the new house.

Swiffer(5 mins)- With the house tidy, I dry & wet Swiffer the bathrooms and entryway.

Kitchen(10 mins)- I unload the dishwasher. Reload. Usually it's not full, so I don't run it till after dinner. Then tidy up and wipe down the counter tops. I Swiffer the floor.

Vacuum(10 mins)- Luckily the girls sleep through this. If not, you could easily wait since this is last on the list.

Dryer(2 mins)- Swap clothes from washer to dryer. Breathe a sigh of relief at your tidy home.

This brings us in at 57 minutes. Phew!! Pat yourself on the back. You kicked mom butt today! Use those extra three for cleaning up the nail polish your toddler spilled on the floor or the oatmeal turned glue under the dining chair...no? Only my kids? Haha! 

I'm curious what your daily "must cleans" are?

Spring Bucket List

Spring has arrived!!! It's already been feeling like Spring with the warmer days here in Charlotte. We started exploring outdoors and learning about Spring, through books and activities. We discovered a wonderful farmer's market open year round in March and planted seeds that are sprouting in the kitchen windowsill. 

This year I decided to make a bucket list as a way to show the girls some of the fun activities coming. I hope you like this little checklist I made. Print and post on your fridge for Spring family fun! Enjoy!

I'd love to hear about your fun plans for this Spring!!

Christmas Cookie Series - Chocolate Chip

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

We had friends over last night for a craft date. We made Christmas ornaments and cards for their dads. Honestly, it was just nice to see them. We have been so busy since we moved last month, that was our first play date. On to the cookies...

Besides Oreos, chocolate chip is my husband's favorite cookie. I mean, who doesn't love a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven?? Mmmmmm just to think of it melting in your mouth. I'm convinced, it's easily America's favorite cookie. So let's start our delicious, mouth watering, edible gift segment right there.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
8 Tablespoons of salted butter MELTED
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a 12oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Yields 12 cookies

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: You want the butter melted, but not hot. Approximately 30 seconds in the microwave should do the trick. Cream butter and sugars.

Step 3: Add vanilla and egg. Only mix long enough to incorporate the egg. Do not over mix.

Step 4: Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to kneed into one large ball of dough.

Step 5: Pour in the chocolate chips and use your hands to incorporate.

Step 6: Roll the dough into 12 balls onto a greased pan or baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Step 7: Let them cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes) before placing in an airtight container. They should stay soft and fresh for a few days...if you can make them last that long!! If you need to keep them fresh longer, then you should freeze them in an airtight container. **For a fresh out of the oven taste, pop frozen cookies into the microwave for about 15 seconds**